Hi William, with your knowledge and experience I’m sure that something you just want to have is not a 1980s atrocity… I would like to see a picture of your newest acquisition. 

Due to my financial situation I buy very little now but I have a kind of inner checklist of things I want to possess one day and if I find one I try to make it possible to buy it. 

I know the feeling that you can look over whole auctions or browse Ebay for days without finding anything you want to buy and then suddenly you see something you just have to have. I think it’s destiny. These acquisitions keep making me happy for years. 

I love giving in to those acquisitive urges which are so personal, when you want something just because you want it. It is satisfying in a very intimate way. It probably goes right to the heart of what is is to be a collector.

So much artistry goes into creating certain things. As collectors we learn to have great appreciation for not just the end product but also the entire process involved in creating and caring for these objects. When we decide to take an interest in one, we give ourselves the opportunity to remember how amazing it is that it even was created and that it has survived for so long. Art is a very special thing and we can have sacred relationships with it if we allow it to happen and cultivate it. And so when we decide something is beautiful and amazing, the desire to be with it is natural and can be very strong. It also can make it difficult to part with things from a dealer standpoint, so there has to be a balance for the collector-dealers. I have enjoyed Peters more recent batch of videos talking about some of his favorite things he owns and how he says he would never sell them. In the end we choose what we most admire and want to live with and let go of the rest. And as my tastes and skill as a collector develop I find in some cases that my collection changes as I uplevel and allow previously held items to move on and be replaced by new finds. It's an interesting process and experience. I can feel myself learning about myself and about life as I go through it. I suppose it is as much as we choose to make of it - anything from merely financially transactional in some cases all the way to a deeply personal, even mystical involvement in others.  John

@william  I say, embrace your urge!  Your experience and knowledge from other areas of Chinese porcelain is transferable, so it's not as if you're jumping into a volcano by buying export wares.

As for the items going through Hong Kong auctions without any bids, if you can, please elaborate - I'm fascinated to hear about what auctions (if you don't mind sharing), and more specifics about your level of satisfaction of the process of bidding, buying, shipping, and what you invevitably end up receiving.

Best,

Tim

@william 

Hi William - 

With knowledge, experience and a good eye this 'gut reaction deep within' is, usually, a fairly good indication that what has been found/seen stands a reasonable chance of been authentic. I am sure this 'reaction' is, probably, the same in all fields of collecting ...

Nowadays this feeling is, generally, triggered upon seeing an image, or group of such, usually either on/from auction house or dealers websites ...

Unfortunately due to the huge amount of reproductions/fakes in the market, I have learned to 'rain-in/curtail' this gut reaction, and then 'switch-on' the brain and conduct detailed examination and research into the piece, including asking others opinions/thoughts ...

If after collating everything and 'something still moves within', I will then try to see/handle the piece, even this if this involves a long journey - for the desire to obtain/acquire a piece if it will compliment, or enhance, a collection can be very strong ...

I acknowledge, of course, that traveling long distances to see/handle pieces is not an option for many ...

Stuart 

@shinigami 

I purchased a figure of Li Tieguai, one of the eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon.  The figure is a little over 10” high with famile noire enamel decoration.  I was absolutely fascinated by his face and still can’t decide what expression is on his face (benevolent enlightenment?). 

“He is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his Calabash gourd. He is often portrayed as an ugly old man with a dirty face, a scraggly beard, and messy hair held by a golden band. He walks with the aid of an iron crutch and often has a gourd slung over his shoulder or held in his hand.” 
Wikipedia

Peter had mentioned the dealer on one of his recent videos, but I don’t think he specifically talked about this figure.  It was described as 18th/19th century, which I think I can buy into that age range.  I emailed regarding condition and the response was somewhat ambiguous.  “No visible damage noted in initial inspection.”  I black lighted the figure and there is overpainting mainly on the back top of the figure’s head.  If there are repaired breaks, then they have recently been very well repaired.  There are some small areas where the outermost clear glaze has abraded or has been over painted. 

@greeno107 

Hi Tim,

Go back three months in General Discussion and find the topic “Tale of Woe”.   That will give you a general overview of my auction experience with Christie’s Hong Kong.

In addition, after reviewing the multiple stickers on the bases of the five vases, it became clear to me that this set had cycled through two previous Pavilion auctions in Hong Kong.  Christie’s has a habit of dropping lot information out of sales results if an item is “bought in”.  I also looked up Orientique which is a fancy, rich tourist, antique shop in Hong Kong and Europe that looks to cater to the wealthy who are happy to pay very high prices for authentic antiques.  Not exactly sure how this export garniture set landed in Hong Kong, but none of the local Chinese buyers had any interest in the set.  I got them by a single bid past the initial opening bid amount.

@william Just read the thread...what an odd experience for such a reputable auction house.  I'm quite adverse to buying from auctions in general, so the idea of buying from overseas is far from my mind.

Even when I look at Ebay, I filter out anything outside of the USA.

I guess I'll have no choice if/when I can't go to estate sales anymore.  

@william A very expressive statue, a great find. 

@shinigami 

This morning I examined the figure with a loupe and solved a mystery.  Originally, I was puzzled by the base under the figure being closed off with clay.  If the figure was hollow, the air trapped inside would expand during firing and cause the piece to explode in the kiln.  When I received the piece, I tapped it with my finger and could tell that the figure was hollow.  After examining areas of small crackle in the glaze with my loupe, I started to look closely at magnified details of the face.  Here is a close up photo.

There are very small openings on either side of the eye balls!  I could insert a pin into the openings.  This is how the potter equalized the air pressure inside the figure.  How clever!  I have never come across this before.  Anyone in the forum who is familiar with this technique please share your knowledge with all of us.

I agree, when you have a depth of experience, the urge may be more accurate than research. Trust your gut 😉 

Todd

My man has a hole in the base but I have just noticed I can look straight up his nostrils and through the small squarish hole in the back of his head. 

@william I just bought a foo dog today that has space on either side of it's eyeballs too. It has other openings as well though, so not an exact comparison.